1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to polymers prepared from styrene and maleic anhydride (SMA) which are formulated to obtain fire retardant compositions.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Polystyrene (PS) and styrene-maleic anhydride copolymers (SMA) are well known and are widely used in the prior art. Polymers which are prepared using a comonomer such as acrylonitrile with the styrene and styrene-maleic anhydride polymers are also known in the art. These polymers tend to burn readily and are not generally recommended for use in those application requiring fire retardant polymers.
There exists in the art a need for styrene-maleic anhydride (SMA) based molding compositions which are fire retardant. This need is accented by the increasing number of laws and regulations relating to the fire retardant properties of polymers used to prepare fire retardant polymers which go into furniture, such as radio and television cabinets, tables, chairs, appliance housings, and other related uses.